issue #01

with Anne Hickey of

Gratuitous Productions

Ahoy Creeps, Cretins and Horror Enthusiasts!

For this very first edition in the Horror series of the old favorite game “This or That”, I’m looking at two short moments in horror film history that literally had us out of our seats. Scenes that had our pulse dance quickly in our chests. Scenes that had our palms uncontrollably sweating and shaking. Moments that had our minds playing tricks on us… the classic jump scare.

For those of you playing the home game, “This or That” is very simple. Two choices are presented. The trick is to pick the one which resonated with you the most in a rapid fire decision making process. I’ll share the two scenes and give my personal synopsis on both. Then it is up to you, the reader (or viewer) to determine what you thought was the best in your opinion!

You can vote on the Gratuitous Productions Instagram listed below! We want to hear from you! Here I present to you, two of the best jump scares in horror history that were particularly unsettling or just plain “jump” worthy.

First up is the nun/hospital scene in 'the Exorcist 3'

All is well. The nurse is checking on the unit. There seems to be a police officer or security guard on site which adds to the illusion of “safety”. Then a very simple, but effective shift of focus to a nun in all white emerging from a hospital room that was recently checked on. She is very swiftly walking behind the unit nurse, out from the same room the nurse had just checked on! She has a pair of garden sheers in her hands now!! There’s a brilliant stinging sound effect here and a quick zooming shot done simultaneously that makes this scare SO impactful. So simple! So effective!! So goddamn scary and unsettling!!

CHO I C E

A

Second, we have a phenomenal scene in 'Alien'

We all know it’s coming. One way or another. One of the main protagonists in the film is in a tunnel-like structure. We watch helplessly as Dallas feels the impending weight of the alien entity descending upon his location. The other members of the crew are looking on from a somewhat (at the time) secure location. The brilliance of this particular scene is that the whole time, the alien is being tracked to the location that Dallas is currently in. So, there’s really no question of the outcome of what the scene will be. But the intensity and build up of that impending doom is palpable in the coming moments on screen. Then we get our inevitable jump scare. And what a scare it was. HR Geiger’s creature design brilliance is brought to life on screen here in a sensational scare that is timeless and features a being that is unfathomable, not even to be seen in our own worst nightmares.